Flag holder



April 22, 1930. s. SMI'IV'H 1,755,372

FLAG HOLDER Filed Jan. '3, 1928 A TTOR NE YS Patented Apr. 22., 1930UNITE STEPHEN SMITH, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA FLAG HOLDER.

Application filed January 3, 1928. Serial No. 244,320.

My invention relates to means for securing fabric sheets, such as flags,to suitable staffs or supports. Although my invention is generallyapplicable, it is particularly adapted to secure flags to staffs as theyare used in railroading, andto secure shades to rollers.

An object of my invention is to provide a flag holder which will permitthe ready attachment and detachment of a flag.

Another object of my invention is to provide a flag holder which can beused with a succession of flags.

A further object of my invention is to provide a flag holder which willsupport its associated flag thruout. the length thereof.

My invention possesses other advantageous features, some of which withthe force going will be set forth at length in the following descriptionwhere I shall outline in full that form of the flag holder of myinvention which I have selected for illustration in the drawingsaccompanying and forming part of the present specification. In saiddrawings I have shown one form of flag holder embodying my invention,but it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to such form sincethe invention as set forth in the claims, may be embodied in a pluralityof 30 forms. I

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my flag holder in use, portions beingbroken away to disclose the construction.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view similar to Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view, similar to Fig. 2, showing the use of the offset inthe retainer.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of my flag holder showing the retainerreleased.

Fig. 5 is a detail of the hook.

In its preferred form, the flag holder of my invention preferablycomprises a stafi with a resilient retainer secured thereto and tendingto diverge therefrom together with means for holding the retainertightly in contact with the stafi.

As mentioned above, the flag holder of my invention is easily adaptableto a variety of uses but it finds an important field in railroading inwhich signal flags are largely employed. The flags in use become soiledquickly and for that and other reasons must oftenbe changed. With thepresent mode of attachment of flags to their staffs it is necessaryeither to remove the tacks from the staff which hold the flag andsubsequently tack a new flag in place on the staff or to dispose of theentire and staff as a unit. These methods are slow or costly or both andare fraught with subsidiary disadvantages such as the necessity ofrepairing flags torn by tacks, cleaning the flags to remove tack rustand of-frequently replacing the staffs.

To overcome these disadvantages and to provide a number of advantagesover the prior methods of construction, I have preferably provided astaif 6, usually of wood, turned in generally cylindrical form andconveniently provided with a grip 7 at one end thereof. The staff can betreated with suit- 7 able weather proofing if desired but such treatmentis not deemed essential. To the staff is securedmeans for retaining aflag. This retainer conveniently takes the form of a continuous rod orwire 8 preferably of spring steel and finished to protect it from rust.As a simple means for securing retainer 8 to the staff 6, I preferablyprovide one end of the retainer with a reverse bend ending in a barbedtip 9 and which is of such proportions that the barbed'tip engagescentrally the end of the staff 6.

In order to assure substantially uniform contact with the staff 6thruout the length of the retainer 8, I preferably form the retainerwith a permanent set tending to cause the retainer to diverge from thestaff in an arcuate path. This is disclosed in Fig. 4i in which it isseen that the barbed end 9 holds one end of the retainer in closeproximity to the staff 6 while the opposite end of the. retainer isspaced a considerable distance from the staff.

It is intended that a flag be gripped between the retainer Sand thestaff 6 and while this can be accomplished simply by inserting aflagtherebetween, I preferably provide a flag 11 having a hem 12 along oneside thereof. The open hem is slipped over the free end of the retainerand the flag is usually disposed with one margin adjacent the end of thestaff.

The flag is clamped firmly between the retainer and the staff when thewire 8 is held against the staff 6. A convenient means for holding theretainer is a hook 18 usually having a barbed point 14: driven into thewood of the staff 6. The free end of the retainer 8. is forced towardthe staff and is slipped laterally to lie underneath the hook 13.

To insure that the retainer is always tightly in contact with the staff,I preferably provide adjacent the free end of the wire an OK- setportion 15 extending away from the stafi 6. lVith this offset portion incontact with the underside of the hook, the amount of the offset is justsufficient to maintain the retainer 8 in tight contact thruout itslength with the staff 6. The offset 15 has the further ad vantage ofproviding a fulcrum 16 so that the free end of the wire can be pressedtoward the staff and the remainder of the retainer 8 will spring awayfrom the staff in an arc to free the flag from the staff and permit theoffset to be disengaged from the hook 13. This position is shown in Fig.3.

Further support is afiorded for the flag and is particularly provided toprevent its longitudinal movement along the retainer 8. A plurality ofteeth 17 are preferably struck up from the wire 8 and are adapted topass thru the material of the flag 11 and indent slightly the wood ofstaff 6. The flag is thus kept from longitudinal shifting along theretainer and is firmly held in the desired position.

It will be appreciated that simply by manipulating the free end of theretainer 8, it can be engaged and disengaged from the hook 13 and a flagcan be readily and simply slipped into position and removed from posi:tion. There is no possibility of tearing the flag as it is supported forsubstantially its entire length. Furthermore the support for the flag isresilient and yields a slight amount in severe service so that danger oftearing the flag is obviated. In addition, the replacement and changingof flags is so easily effected that the staffs are economically retainedrather than destroyed when the flag becomes worn out.

I claim: 7

1. A flag holder comprising a stafi, a retainer formed of a single wirefrictionally secured at one end to said staff and diverginglongitudinally therefrom, means on said staff for receiving the otherend of said retainer, and means struck from the retainer for preventingmovement of a flag along said retainer when the retainer is inengagement with said stafi.

2. A flag holder comprising a staff, a retainer reversely bent at oneend, said reversely bent end being imbedded in one end of the staff, andmeans attached to and adjacent the other end of the staff for receivingthe other end of the retainer.

A flag holder comprising a staff, a resilient retainer having one endfixed to one end of the staff and normally springing away from the staffadjacent theother end and having a bend therein toward said staff to actas a fulcrum, and a receiver on said staff to receive said retaineradjacent said bend.

4. A flag holder comprising a staff, a re-' silient flag retainerreversely bent at one end to engage one end of the stafi and having abend therein toward said stafi and near the flag receiving portion ofsaid retainer, and a receiver on said staff adapted to receive saidretainer on the opposite side of said bend from the flag receivingportion whereby said bend acts as a fulcrum during the release of saidretainer from said receiver.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

STEPHEN SMITH.

